Grating



July 19, 1932. M. LACHMAN ET AL 1,868,107

GR-AT I NG Filed May 1s, 1925 A 3 P ai?. 2 y @U -DQOMQ QQIIQ-* il: 0 0 U @@@Q Qa u uhmm Patented July 19, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT i OFFICE MAURICE LAGHMAN, or NEW Yonx, AND JOHN n. TENCH, or WHITE Prunus,`

NEWYORKl ,A f

GRATING' Application Amea may 13,

This invention relates to metallic gratings particularly adapted for use as sidewalk or floor gratings and of the kind adapted to cover in a vault or other empty space and at the same time afford a self-supporting surface over said space for pedestrian trallic. The invention has for its principal object the production of a grating self-supporting between its edges and strength and of simplicity of construction.

The invention has reference particularly to a metal grating of the form or construction in which the tread portion consists of a web part of a rolled metal channel, said web or tread part having portions removed while the unremoved portions form connecting members between longitudinal supporting members consisting of flanges or ribs of the channel. This general construction of grating is described in my prior Patent No. 1,325,7 92 but in the construction therein described the whole grating consists of an integral channel bar havin sufficient width and a sufcient number of longitudinal supporting ribs or members to make up the grating of the particular size desired. This construction presents difliculties not only in the way of rolling a channel member with the multiplicity of longitudinal ribs but also presents difficulty in the fact that for large sizes of grating the weight of the bar makes it difficult to handle in the rolling operation and also in transportation to the location of use.

Our present invention has primarily for its object to produce a rolled metal grating free from the said dilliculties and of such character that rolled metal channel bars of standard sizes in commercial practice may be utilized and in a manner to secure a grating of any desired width and having the maximum strength in the intermediate supporting, longitudinal members projecting downward from the tread portion between the side flanges or members. To this end we propose web member intermediate the side flanges 2.

1926. Serial .110. 108,752.

to employ the channel members of standard size and to assemble them side by side with the ribs in side contact, the. whole beingy secured together to form the completed grating of any desired width and so that the contiguous or abutting ribs will together forma rib of extra 'strength or resistance to vertical torsion under the load. Oneof the ways in which these objects may be accomplished and a grating of thedesired width obtained will be described inconnection with the accompanyingdrawing.

Further objects and advantages of theinvention will appear from the accompanying description.

In the attached drawingY illustrating .a practical embodiment of the invention; Fig.`1 is a perspective View of one ofthe channel bars forming a unit of the grating.

Fig. 2 is a planyview of the grating. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3---3l of liig. 2. 'j Referring to the several figures of vthe drawing and more particularly-to Fig.l 1: j 1 indicates theweb member or fiat top of a rolled steel lchannel bar of any standard size which is provided with side flanges 2 and preferably with a stiffening or strengthening rib 3 on the underside ofthe 4 indicates a plurality of buttons or projections pressed upwardly at .spaced intervals out of the metal of the rib 3 on the tread side to form a non-slip tread on the upper flat surface of the webmember 1 and on the side of the grating opposite that fromwhich ping on the grating when the channel bars are assembled together. The web members 1 .tioned on either side ofthe rib 3. i

The completed grate as shown'in Fig.v2;

the ribs project and` acting to prevent slip- Y is made up of a plurality of the channel bars just described arranged side `by side longitudinally of each other with the side flange of one bar engaging the side flange of the next succeeding bar and fastened or otherwise secured thereto by suitable bolts or rivets V6 passing through Yopenings 7 with which said side flanges are provided.

As will be manifest, a grating of any desired Width may be constructed by using the desired number of channel bars which themselves being of standard form may be rolled in the usual way and transported with fa- Y cilityto 4the place where the gratin is to be supporting membersy of the completed grating operating likewise through their clamped Vengagement to stien the composite structure against bending or torsion on a line transverse tothe longitudinal axis of the composite structure, said webs being provided with a plurality of openings therein.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York this 12th day of May A. D. 1926.

MAURICE LACHMAN.

JOHN Rf TENCH.y

erected. vAtfthisV point theyniay` e easilyV v' assembled and when assembled as described a grating of great stiffness between its sup- Y I n ported edges will be produced owing to the fact that the contiguous Sribs. -beingy firmlyy f clamped against one another give a supporting member of double strength while at the same time the structure effectually resists any tendencyV to flexureunder the weight supported by it over the emptyV space beneath. As'the channel bars are standard no Vspecial machinery or tools are necessary for manufacturing the grating so that the cost of manufacture is not great.v f

What we claim as our invention is yl. A composite metallic grating for sidewalks and the like comprising a plurality of rolled channel members arrangedside by side and each provided with webs cut or stamped to provide openings andl connecting members by the unremoved portions of the web the outer faces of the flanges of adjoining Vmembers being engageddirectly .with one another over substantially the whole Vextent 'of their surfaces and means for bolting or securing said flanges firmly together to hold the engaged surfaces in firm contact and prevent buckling or bending of the composite structure in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the channel members while at the same time producing a composite reinforcing longitudinal intermediate supporting member of twice the thickness of the flanges at the external edges of the grating.

2. A composite metallic grating for'side- Y -walks and the like comprising a plurality of ktheside flanges, said channel members being arranged longitudinally of each other with vthe outer face of the flange of one member fflanges and means for clamping said flanges i together with their surfaces throughout in ,firm contactof the next succeeding member B5 engaging against andv in direct contact with the outer face Vof the flange of the adjoining'. member throughout substantially .Y the whole extent of the outer surface of both to form composite reinforced longitudinal 

